Chris Hemcher: From Bagdad to Bonham

Talk about dedication. Chris Hemcher finds time to lay the grooves while on active duty in Iraq. Soldier/drummers tend to be disciplined, and the fact that Hemcher made time for the drums during an actual combat mission is plenty proof of that. Hemcher took up the instrument relatively late in life, a decision he made after defeating Hodgkin’s lymphoma in his late twenties. Back in the States, he’s been subbing in cover bands, playing charity benefits, rocking open-mike nights, and shedding in, ahem, a storage shed between furloughs. As for style, Hemcher’s a straight-timer all the way (you thought platoon commander was gonna play flam-a-diddles?). Hemcher loves the military. His only regret is not being in one place long enough to form a band. After retiring from the military in three years, however, he plans to start a classic rock cover band. From Bagdad to Bonham beats — not a bad career trajectory.